Two Indian-origin women, mother and daughter, were subjected to a grisly stabbing attack inside their house in Burbank in which the 59-year-old mother, Arti Varma, an elementary school teacher died. Her daughter Meera Varma, a noted mental health activist, was grievously injured but was said to be stable after both the women were taken to the hospital. Meera's father was in India when the stabbing attack took place. A 30-year-old man, Sergio Fraire, was arrested as the person of interest in the case.
Several details about Fraire emerged as he is a local but it's not yet established whether Fraire knew the Varmas, or what motivated the stabbing spree.
The stabbing took place in the morning around 6 on April 20. Fraire was located in a house less than three miles from the Varmas. Both the mother and the daughter were well known in their locality. 25-year-old Meera Varma is nationally known as a mental health activist who worked with Oprah, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris.
A local report suggested that Fraire grew up in the Burbank area and some called him an athlete and a standout student. Andres Pulgarin, a former teammate of Fraire, expressed shock and said they were all very stunned after they came to know this. "He was a classic honor student, something that you don’t really expect from somebody like that,” Pulgarin told KTLA.
After the early morning stabbing, the cops started investigating and the arrest was made at 10 pm. "At about 10:00 pm, members of the Burbank Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team served a search warrant at a residence in the 500 block of East Palm Avenue in Burbank, where Mr Fraire was believed to be staying. He was taken into custody without incident, and evidence related to the crime was recovered," the police department said.
"The relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims remains under investigation, as does the motive," the department said.
